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Queen's Park (10), Tamil Protests (6), vigil (2)

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Over 10,000 Tamils held a candlelight vigil at Queen’s Park on Friday for victims in their ravaged homeland.

Organizers played Tamil music while speakers called for international action to protect the Tamil population after the defeat of the Tamil army by Sri Lankan forces.

Tamils held signs saying ?War Criminals,? accusing the Sri Lankan government of genocide by denying aid groups and UN relief agencies access to the war-ravaged area.

?This is a global event,? said Senthan Nada, a spokesman for the Coalition to stop the Genocide in Sri Lanka. ?All over the world the Tamil diaspora are gathering to mourn the innocent Tamil victims by the genocidal war that Sri Lanka has been conducting.?

As dusk approached thousands of candles were lit. Most Tamil supporters dressed in black. The scent of burning wax gave Queen’s Park a funeral atmosphere.

Many men and women appeared grief-stricken and were crying. One woman fainted and was helped to a waiting ambulance. Another woman threw herself to the ground and shouted to Barack Obama and the international community for help.

Around 9 p.m. the candlelight procession began moving from Queen’s Park south on University Avenue as police diverted traffic. The march made its way to the U.S. consulate a few blocks away accompanied by police on bicycles, motorcycles and horses but no incidents were reported.

After nearly 45 minutes in front of the U.S. consulate the crowd made its way home. Police closed off University at Queen to prevent traffic disruptions and they advised the crowd to take the subway home.

Tamil leaders vowed to hold more demonstrations in the days to come.